Nairn is an ideal base for exploring the Highlands and the Moray coast as well as the Cairngorm National Park area.
CYCLING & WALKING We offer a lockable facility, with bike stand, for cyclists, an outside hose for cleaning off muddy bikes and boots after a long tour or hike.
GOLF You can enjoy a round of golf at any of the three excellent courses in the area:- Nairn Golf Club - to the west of our house, Nairn Golf Club was ranked number 11 in the list of Top 100 Courses in Scotland 2015 (Golf World Magazine). Nairn Dunbar Golf Club - to the east of our house, Nairn Dunbar was ranked 9th in the North of Scotland Top 100 courses. Castle Stuart Golf Links - The beautifully situated Castle Stuart Golf Links, with commanding views over the Moray Firth, shot to wider prominence in 2011 when it hosted the first ever European Tour even in the Scottish Highlands and The Scottish Open played at Castle Stuart for three successive years.
Dolphin spotting - dolphin-trips-Nairn.co.ukor you can try spotting them from the East or West beach in Nairn.
Cairngorm National Park: There's a lot to do in the Cairngorm National Park, such as:- Mountain biking, walking trails, cycle trails, skiing, snowboarding, canoeing, fishing, sailing windsurfing, paddlesports, rafting and swimming etc. Landmark Adventure Park: Great fun for young and old at Landmark in Carrbridge, which is about a 45min drive from the house.
Loch Ness & Urquhart Castle The drive down either side of the loch affords stunning views and the vista from the ruins of Urquhart Castle are particularly favoured for the panoramic view and for Nessie spotting.
The Whisky Trail There are many distilleries located around the Moray and Speyside areas, with the closest to Nairn being the Benromach Distillery in the town of Forres (approx. 15min drive from the house) Whisky Tours link
Brodie Castle & Cawdor Castle Both of these magnificent castles are within close driving distance of the house and both have impressive gardens. Brodie Castle link Cawdor Castle link
Fort George & Culloden Battlefield Culloden Battlefield is only a 20 minute drive from the house. It is where The Battle of Culloden took place on 16 April 1746. It was the final battle of the 1745 Jacobite Rising and the last Battle to be held on British soil.
Fort George is a large 18th-century fortress near Ardersier, which is only a few miles from Nairn. It was built to pacify the Scottish Highlands in the aftermath of the Jacobite rising of 1745, replacing a Fort George in Inverness which was constructed after the 1715 Jacobite rising to control the area. The current fortress has never been attacked and has remained in continuous use as a garrison.
Ballindaloch Castle & Gardens From immersing yourself in the history of the Castle, its architecture and interiors, to enjoying the photos of the Gardens, you will find a visit to this estate as well as the Ballindalloch Distillery a treat of a day out. Ballindaloch link
Nairn History
Nairn (from the Gaelic 'Inbhir Narann'), is an ancient fishing and market town with an expanse of sandy beaches. King James VI of Scotland (I of England), visited Nairn in 1589 and is reported to have later boasted that there was a town in his kingdom so long that the people at either end spoke different languages, Scots and Gaelic. The landward farmers and the fishing families at the harbour end spoke Doric, and the Highlanders spoke Gaelic. Nairn, formerly split into Scottish Gaelic- and Scots-speaking communities, was a town of two halves in other ways. The narrow-streeted fishertown surrounds a harbour built by Thomas Telford while Victorian villas stand in the 'West End'. Tigh na Cloinne was one of the first of these villa to have been erected. In 1645, during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, the battle of Auldearn was fought near the town, between Royalists and Covenanters. It was not until the 1860s that Nairn became a popular holiday town. Dr. John Grigor (a statue of whom is located at Viewfield) was gifted a house in this coastal town and spent his retirement there. He valued its warm climate and advised his wealthy London clients to holiday here. Following the opening of the Nairn Railway Station in 1855, new houses and hotels were built in the elegant West End. Originally this was the last stop on the line from London due to the inhospitable terrain on what is now the main Dava branch line to Inverness.
The town is the second largest settlement in the Highlands of Scotland with only the city of Inverness being larger. It has been best known as a seaside resort for many generations, boasting two awarding-winning beaches, 2 golf courses, a small museum and community centre/ arts venue, a theatre (The Little Theatre).
In 2007 Oscar-winning actress Tilda Swinton, who lives in Nairn, created a film festival entitled "Ballerina Ballroom Cinema of Dreams", which was held in the Nairn Public Hall. It generated worldwide press about the festival and Nairn at the time.
Nairn stages one of the biggest Highland games in the North. The first event was held in 1867, and it is now the only Games where entry remains free. The games are a major event in the local social calendar.
Our House
Tigh na Cloinne is part of what was initially Clifton House, built in 1873 by Provost Leslie, the then provost of Nairn. It then belonged to Sir Francis Oswald Lindlay, a British diplomant and son of the botanist and illustrator John Lindley, who in 1840 was instrumental in saving The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew from destruction. Clifton House was then purchased by Mr Macintyre from Craigellachie, who ran it as the renowned Clifton Hotel and later by his son, the late and much missed J. Gordon Macintyre. The house still reflects, in no small measure, his dynamic personality.